With a lot of games out there in the wild, I often don't get the chance to play these games until years after the release.
Games listed here aren't limited to games that came out this year, but essentially games that I have played this year, that has made an impression on me to mention, let it be good or bad.
Showing 1-10 of 81 items
+ Encourages freedom by encouraging player curiosity to try & explore, which in turn giving an outcome that is unique to that player and their play-style + Expanded, fleshed out world, lore, and story that also gives players who are looking for more story focussed game to get their fill + Plays on the familiarity of the Breath of the Wild to turn everything on its head which in turn gives much more expanded scope compared to if everything was "new" - Technical blemishes due to aging hardware does force things to look and feel a bit too same as Breath of the Wild
+ Lovely presentation that gives you sense of wonder among our familiar backdrop while creating sense of danger with creatures you battle with + Gameplay refinement gained with years of experience shines throughout giving you more time to adventure and have fun + Wealth of content to go through and enjoy where there are varying degree of challenge you can choose to take on yourself + Visual design continues to be highlight where the sense of realism meshed with stylised characters gel perfectly The best entry in Pikmin series so far and perfect game to get the feel for the series.
+ Such lovely evolution of art design bringing the charm that seemed missing from the "New Super Mario Bros" series + Level design brings such variety that feels fresh with little to no repetition + Tight controls that fees very responsive and "right" + Badge system actually gives a choice of personalisation - Game for the majority can seem a bit too easy
+ Great soft reboot from Kiryu arc spanning 7 games + Awesome cast of characters who are so likable in their own way showing great chemistry + Yokohama is a great city with lots to see and do + Great and robust set of minigames that gives you a lot more things to do outside of the main story + Hybrid turn-based battle is a welcome change that also gives you reactionary input bonuses akin to Paper Mario RPGs - As graphics get more "real", janky animations takes you right out of the experience
Future Redeemed DLC + DLC with content length that rivals some other games (clocking in 20+ hours) + Great book-end(?) that brings what appears Xenogears, Saga, X and Chronicles together to give players much more lore to sink their teeth into + As advertised, this DLC "completes" the saga, which for many gives the end to more than decades worth of story that's been excellently masterminded into a satisfying saga
+ Various character story arcs you can choose from + Bite sized episodic structure that gives the feeling of watching short anime episodes + Minimal 2D-HD style mixed with orchestral soundtrack allows player to connect the emotional dots that doesn't get set by typical cinematic cutscenes, which in turn keeps it much more engaging + Plants enough seeds of a grander narrative which gives you payoff and story satisfaction for those who follow through the hints and characters they meet along the way - The way the key story arc that ties all of the 8 pathes together can be missed as it's less obvious, which is a real bummer - Post-"True" ending could use bit better end-cap moment (even playing credits again) to give a "Fin" feeling of the game Although it took years for me to play this, impact it left was so amazing and I can't wait to play the mobile prequel as well as 2.
+ Visual and audio design recreating a fairy tale story book feeling suits the game very well + Dual character control on each stick gives it an interesting depth and invokes thrill that I had playing Astral Chain & classic Cookie and Cream + Story is much easier to follow and quite compelling without convoluted and complicated mess mainline series often falls into + Level design and structure gives you a feeling of playing a 2D-era Zelda game mixed with lite metroidvania-ish adventure - Beginning hour can be quite slow paced and doesn't really give you the best of impression
+ Various weapons and summons gives so much combat variety that gives players better play style choice + Characters show more depth and dramatic tension (and humor) that gets you more engaged + Great dramatic & cinematic battle scenes are as bombastic and fun as ever + Various gameplay design & stages brings freshness to the game pacing when it can get a bit monotonous + Story.... funnily enough... is more convoluted but somehow easier to follow compared to the first two games, and brings the arc to a close quite nicely - Bigger world stage design makes the game feel even more empty, personally stage designs of 2 had the best balance - While aspects of graphic design are amazing, character model body proportions even in its 3rd game, is rather distracting than making it stand out
+ Fun and engaging story fused with great character chemistry between the Guardians + Art design of the world and overall presentation creates great immersion + Great acting by the voice and motion capture crew - Level and game mechanic design feels somewhat dated - Even playing the game after almost 2 years, game feels glitchy
Switch Remastered Edition + Best example of "Remaster" to date + Updates what would be an antiquated mechanics to be relevant one in today's context + It is astounding to see how a fundamental design and mechanics hold up so well after 20 years, demonstrating importance of game design beyond technical presentation showcase + Gives comfort and confidence on how Metroid Prime 4 will turn out..... as well as hopeful Prime 2 and 3 would get similar treatment